What would Andy Burnham’s policies be if he becomes prime minister?

Andy Burnham could become Britain’s next prime minister within weeks after Wes Streeting said he would back the new Makerfield MP for the top job.

Mr Streeting’s call for a coronation for Mr Burnham, shortly after Sir Keir Starmer announced his resignation as prime minister, appears to put an end to any speculation about a leadership contest, paving the way for the former Manchester mayor to enter No 10 unopposed.

There are now growing questions about what the UK might look like if Mr Burnham becomes Labor’s next leader and prime minister; A scenario that many people expected.

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Mr Burnham pitched his campaign in Makerfield not just to get residents the vote, but to “change the Labor Party” and potentially lead the country himself as prime minister.

Speaking after his victory, Mr Burnham said: “Everyone knows politics doesn’t work. Everyone can feel that the country is not where it needs to be. Tonight could be a turning point, it could be.”

He added: “I say to my own party: This is one last chance for change.

“That’s what people told me directly on the hundreds of doorsteps I’ve stood on. We have to hear it, we have to act on it, and we have to do it right. There will be no second chances.”

Here’s what his victory means for the country:

Bringing Manchesterism to Westminster

At the heart of Mr Burnham’s plan for Britain is “Manchesterism”, a political vision that briefly combines elements of devolution and nationalisation.

Drawing on his time as mayor of Manchester, Mr Burnham called for greater power and funding decisions to be given to regional leaders who are best placed to understand the needs of their communities.

This often includes the power to control public services, as characterized by Manchester’s successful “Bee Network”. Ownership of the infrastructure was taken from several private companies in the development of the plan, which included bus and tram routes across the city, in a move that gave local decision-makers full control.

More broadly, the city’s combined authority has also promised a £1bn “good growth fund” for regeneration, jobs, housing and homelessness projects. Mr Burnham said earlier this year that the city’s devolved powers were “pioneering” and would play a key role in Manchester’s economic growth of 3.1 per cent annually since 2015, making Manchester the UK’s leading city.

Mr Burnham noted that this approach could be expanded at the national level, through both the nationalization of public services and the centralization of political decision-making. In fact, the latter means that some decisions are taken from Westminster and councils and combined authorities are “given control power”. [they] need”.

Speaking to Channel 4 News last month, Mr Burnham said Britain’s “deindustrialization and privatization” had left areas such as Makerfield “deprived of good jobs and people unable to afford basic needs”.

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He said: “We need a completely different path. What is that path? Put more things under stronger public control: energy, housing, water, transport.

“I did this on buses in Greater Manchester. I was the first to do it. Margaret Thatcher deregulated them… and then they just worked for private shareholders, not the paying public.”

“I brought them back under public control with £2 charges, so you take that principle and apply it to energy and water, and that’s what I think we need to do.”

Economy and taxation

Similarly, Mr Burnham said the UK was committed to ensuring “strong public control and direction” over its investment strategy to stimulate economic growth. Responding to former prime minister Tony Blair’s controversial article last month, he said Manchester’s growth “does not happen by leaving things to the market”.

Elsewhere, the new Makerfield MP said he was committed to Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ fiscal rules designed to reduce government debt levels.

On tax, Mr Burnham also recommitted Labor to not increasing income tax, VAT or national insurance in this parliament. But he said he would “develop a policy” to address concerns about the controversial freeze on income tax personal allowance, which has left thousands of workers paying more since 2021.

Other taxation attitudes Mr. Burnham states he holds include:

Brexit

Mr Burnham said he would not try to return Britain to the EU and argued the country would be “stuck in a permanent stalemate if we argue all the time”.

His comments came after potential leadership rival Wes Streeting said Britain needed to rejoin the EU with significant intervention after resigning as health secretary. Mr Burnham said: “My view is that Brexit is damaging, but I also believe that the last thing we need to do now is to bring these debates back to the fore.”

He added that he wanted the national spotlight to be on Makerfield and the North West during the by-election campaign, but added: “I would like to apologize to the residents of the Makerfield constituency for the circus that is about to come to the town and some of the inconvenience they will experience as a result.”

The path to No 10 is by no means guaranteed for Mr Burnham. The leadership election will first require either Sir Keir to resign or his rival to muster sufficient support from Labor MPs.

The former mayor did not specify how quickly he plans to move forward once he returns to Westminster. But his decision to set out his political vision in such detail over the last few months shows that his sales pitch to Labor MPs, members and the country has already begun.